What's really sad, is that most of these shows just aren't available anywhere. I've managed to get my greedy little mitts on a couple of them, but the rest are nearly impossible to track down.

It's such a waste of really good TV. Lets face it, what do we have now? We have crap. Mostly cartoons based around tournament gaming of one form or another. Shows like "Dragonball Z", "Pokemon" and so forth. Almost no plot to speak of. No real challenges to the thought process, and absolutely no entertainment value whatsoever.

Maybe one day these classics that I've missed will come back to bring a little joy to the next generation.

Hmmm...some of those I remember; many I do not...but I'm just that little bit older! My mind hearkens back to The Cattanooga Cats, The Hair-bear Bunch, Whacky Races, Space Ace, Kimba the White Lion, Gilligan's Island, Get Smart and Hogan's Heroes! (I reckon I'll be buying Get Smart, when that one finally appears on dvd!)

Oh My God, zaphod, I just realized that if you only got Auntie ABC in Alice Springs, then you never got to watch THUNDERBIRDS on Channel 9 at 6 AM on a Saturday Morning. Proceed immediately to the official web-site at THUNDERBIRDS On Line to rectify this gap in your education.Re; Janice's comments The Cattanooga Cats, Sorry I don't remember that one, but I do remember; The Banana Bunch [I always wanted and still do want one of those ATV buggies] with the short series Danger Island, Gigantor; The Space Age Robot, Speed Racer, both Japanese Cartoons. Add to the list Gilligan, Max Smart, Hogan's.

Actually D-Day, that was the "Banana Splits" and I managed to catch a few episodes (kindly taped from a relative in Adelaide and sent up to us) and my uncle actually owns one of the ATV's. Not from the show, but the same model as used on it.

It was screened in the late 70's and early 80's on Hey Hey It's Saturday (before it became a saturday night entertainment show).

I always thought it was the "Banana Bunch", because I don't recall them using the word "Split" in their theme song, but it is @ 20 years ago. The theme song as I recall it went " Tra la la, tra la la, one banana , two banana, three banana, four, makes a bunch or more. The rest of the song I could never de-cipher, but you get my drift. I am not to sure about the "Hey Hey" bit, so maybe someone else might like to chip in a comment. Finally you made no comment about "THUNDERBIRDS", did you get to see them, and if so were you an early riser or a stay up all night viewer.So have you taken the ATV for a spin?

Well, D-Day: I was confused by The Thunderbirds when I was a kid... they seemed too good to be puppets, but weren't quite human either! I don't think I saw that much of them as a kid, but borrowed a friend's tapes many years ago and got into them. I was wondering about that "Banana Bunch" that you mentioned and then thought that you must mean the "Banana Splits", so I think Zaphod is right. I recollect being accused of la-la-la-ing the tune at times in the past, although I didn't remember the words, or the show!By the way...I tried to send a message to you, but I don't think that option is working. I wanted to comment re your comment to me about the Catalinas...

I was going to suggest Star Blazers - hired out the whole series on VHS a few years ago from a dodgey video shop on Waverley Rd, Malvern (Melbourne) a few years ago. Watched a whole bunch but it wasn't quite as magical as when watching them in the early 80's, back when imagination was required to enhance 'special effects'. Astro Boy can also be found on video - but I don't think I'd bother.

I thought growing up in country S.A. was bad enough with only one local commercial channel (SES and ABC available, but having heard Zaphod's childhood TV woes I feel a bit better.

Huge fan of Get Smart. I seem to also recall finding "F Troop" quite humourous, yelling at the telly,"Don't fire the damn cannon!" They never learnt.